Using Google Trends info from 2004, we compared which players have been most searched for on Google and YouTube.

Most Searched Chess Players on Google and YouTube

Google Trends is a useful tool for understanding how searches for any entity, name, person, or object of interest have evolved on the web.

We used it to compare how searches for some chess players have evolved on the Google search engine, with data dating back to 2004, and on YouTube, with data dating back to 2008.

It does not include results from other search engines, such as Yandex and Baidu. If we had access to those, the results would undoubtedly show some variations.

Knowing how chess ecosystem evolves during time by looking at a player’s popularity is a good way of understanding it.

Who has been the most searched on Google since 2004: Magnus, Judit Polgar, Vishy, ​​Kasparov, or Bobby Fischer?

Before we begin, let’s remember that, according to Google Trends:

Numbers represent search interest relative to the highest point on the chart for the given region and time. A value of 100 is the peak popularity for the term. A value of 50 means that the term is half as popular. A score of 0 means there was not enough data for this term.

This is the linear graph of how YouTube searches for five great chess players have evolved: Judit Polgar, Bobby Fischer, Magnus Carlsen, Garry Kasparov, and Viswanathan Anand.

And this is the map showing which countries are searching for one of them more than the others.

The following conclusions can be drawn from the line graph:

• Bobby Fischer is, in general, the most searched player on the web. He is followed, in order, by Garry Kasparov, Magnus Carlsen, Vishy Anand, and Judit Polgar.

• Since December 2021, Magnus Carlsen has become the most searched player. However, searches for Fischer and Kasparov remain constant.

• Some spikes in the linear graph are noticeable, such as those related to Bobby Fischer. The film “Pawn Sacrifice” premiered in September 2015, and in December of that same year, FronteraD published an article titled “Bobby Fischer’s Last Thing.”

Then, in December 2020, there was another sudden increase in searches, perhaps due to articles about Fischer on Chess.com following the success of the Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit,” whose final episode had aired in October of that year.

In Vishy’s case, there were two search spikes, one in November 2013 and another in November 2014.

It’s clear that, in both cases, the searches are related to his match against Magnus Carlsen for the FIDE World Championship title.

Regarding the map, it’s worth noting that there are countries where searches for Fischer and Kasparov are tied. Therefore, the color of that player could change to the other. This is the case in Mexico and Russia.

Overall, the web search map shows that Fischer, Kasparov, and Magnus Carlsen have the largest online presence. Vishy, ​​as expected, is most searched for in his home country of India.

Who has been most searched for on YouTube since 2008: Magnus Carlsen, Judit Polgar, Vishy, ​​Kasparov, or Bobby Fischer?

Here’s a line graph showing how YouTube searches for five renowned chess celebrities have evolved: Judit Polgar, Bobby Fischer, Magnus Carlsen, Garry Kasparov, and Viswanathan Anand.

And here we present a map showing how these searches are distributed by country.

From the linear graph of YouTube results, we can draw the following conclusions:

• Magnus has dominated YouTube searches, compared to these other chess heavyweights, since November 2013, the month in which he defeated Vishy Anand in Chennai, India, for the championship.

• Let’s just say that Carlsen’s popularity continues to rise even though two world champions have already come and gone (Ding Liren and Dommaraju Gukesh). This speaks volumes about the Norwegian’s dominance on the chess scene, despite his decision not to defend his title.

• Before Magnus Carlsen, and at least after 2008, the dominant player was Garry Kasparov. In fact, Garry ranks second among all players. He is followed by Bobby Fischer, Vishy, ​​and Judit Polgar.

Regarding the map, we can say that YouTube searches for Magnus Carlsen dominate in most parts of the world where data is available. Kasparov, on the other hand, has a greater presence in YouTube searches in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Egypt, and Algeria.

The difference with other players (Gukesh, Hikaru, Ding Liren, Mikhail Tal)

As we will quickly see, the greatness of chess players like Carlsen, Fischer, Kasparov, Vishy, ​​and even Judit Polgar, who maintains a consistent, albeit slightly lower, level of play over time, is hardly shared by other well-known GMs.

We compared Carlsen’s popularity with that of Dommaraju Gukesh, Hikaru Nakamura, Ding Liren, and Mikhail Tal. The difference between Carlsen and the others is remarkable. Magnus Carlsen is a constant topic in the chess world.

Let’s look at the line graph for web searches.

This is its map.

Now the linear graph for YouTube searches.

This is its map.